Ironing process and apparatus



Jan. 8, 1957' E. L. SCHERER IRONING PROCESS AND APPARATUS Filed June 14, 1954 www 2 /A/l/ENITOR:

ELMER L. SCHERER United States Ptttttt IRONING PROCESS AND APPARATUS Elmer L. Scherer, Racine, Wis. l Application June 14, 1954, Serial No. 436,304

s claims. (Cl. ss--144) This invention relates to the ironing of fabrics such as clothes, and, more particularly,` it relatestoapparatus and a process Vfor moistening said fabrics ,in the course of ironing.

It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus and a process for moistening fabrics during the course ofironing the same. The achievement of this object eliminates the necessity of water sprinkling wrinkled fabrics previous to ironing and it further avoids the use of an electric steam iron.`

, lA further object of this invention is to provide apparatus and a process for ironing fabrics 'and simultaneously moistening them through a minimum of effort and in a minimum of time.

Still another object of this invention is to provide apparatus and a process of ironing which will minimize the danger of scorching fabrics.

Other objects and advantages vwill become apparent upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an ironing board containing a preferred embodiment of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional plan View taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Fig. l, it is seen that the general shape of a conventional ironing board is shown from the top. However, at the outset, it should be understood that'this invention is not limited in application to ironing boards and that fact should be appreciated from reading of the following description. It is preferred to apply this invention in conjunction with ironing boards but not to so limit the application.

Fig. 1 shows the top shape of an ironing board 10 which is actually entirely covered over its top with preferably a light weight turkish nap cotton cover 11. As shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the cover 11 is preferably provided with the usual elastic bottom edge at 12 to extend around the entire perimeter of the cover and to maintain the cover on the board and simultaneously permit the cover to be readily removed. As further seen in Figs. 2 and 4, the bottom of the board 10 has a pair of legs 13 which are pivotally attached thereto through brackets 14 and pins 16. The brackets 14 are secured to the board 10 by welding or other means. Also, a bracket 17 is secured to the bottom of the opposite end of the board 10 to abut a third leg 18 and thereby support the board in an operating position.

The foregoing description of an ironing board is that of a conventional type of board and no further description is necessary.

It will be apparent, with reference particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, that immediately over a part of the top surface 2,776,506 Patented Jan. 84, 1957 rice of the board 10 there ispreferably positioned a flannel covered rubberized member 21. As indicated in Fig. 1, and as shown in Fig. 2, it is preferred that the member 21 does not extend the entire length of the board 10. In this manner, an end 22 of the board is available for setting the iron thereupon when the latter is not in use. The member 21 terminates in its outer edges 23. The widest end of the member 21 is secured to the board by having an elastic strap 24 suitably attached to the end of the member to engage the brackets 14 as shown in Fig. 4. If desired, the strap 24 can be adjustable to permit altering the tautness of the member 21 on the board 10. Thus, most of the top of the board 10 is covered with a water proof cover, such as the member 21, for a purpose apparent hereinafter.

An important feature of this invention is the provision of a moisture pad 26, which is substantially the same size and shape as the board 10, except for the board end 22. The pad is placed immediately upon the top of the member 21, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3; however, it is not shown to enclose the edges of the board 10 in the manner that the cover 11 and the member 21 enclose the board. in the position shown, it will be obvious that the pad 26 is snugly secured between the member 21 and the cover 11 and is thereby maintained in position during the ironing. lt is important in this invention that the pad 26 be water damp during the ironing process. With this arrangement, all fabrics that are ironed will receive moisture from the pad 26 through the cover 11. Then pre-ironing sprinkling or a steam iron is not required, with the obvious desirable result of saving time and expense. It is, therefore, preferred that the pad 26 be easily removable from the board 10 by simply removing the cover 11. The pad 26 can then be saturated with ordinary tap water and Wrong to remove the excess water leaving the pad damp. When the pad 26 is replaced upon the member 21, and the cover 11 is replaced, it is preferred that initially the hot iron be applied to the cover to draw moisture to it from the pad 26. Upon ironing fabrics placed on the cover 11, the latter will moisten the fabrics and thereby permit the desired moisture ironing. No further treatment of the cover 11 is required for subsequent ironing. This process can be continued with ironing for a period of four to six hours without further wetting of the pad 26 and no special attention of the pad is required.

In this process, the rubberized member 21 will prevent the passing of moisture from the pad 26 to the board 10. The latter is then protected from any possible damage by moisture. Obviously, if it is not desired to protect the board 10 from moisture, then the cover 21 can be eliminated within the scope of this invention.

From the foregoing disclosure, it will be understood that special materials are preferred in each of the covers or cushions employed. Thus, as mentioned, the member 21 is preferably a flannel covered rubberized material which will prevent the moisture from passing to the boardv 10. The member 21 can therefore be any material which will serve that function if it is desired to protect the underneath support or board. Also, the pad 26 is preferably one which will retain a substantial quantity of water allow moisture to pass through it and, as such, is moisture pervious.

It should be appreciated that all fabrics are uniformly moistened when they are ironed. This feature not only permits good ironing but it also minimizes the dangers of scorching fabrics since the latter are subjected to the moisture with the pressure of the iron.

While a specific embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, the scope of this invention should be limited only by the appended claims.

l claim:

l. In a process of ironing wrinkled fabrics such as clothes, the steps comprising `dampening with water a moisture retaining pad capable of absorbing a substantial amount of water at one time, placing said moisture retaining pad upon a horizontally disposed support, positioning a moisture pervious cover over the top of said pad, placing over said cover said fabrics to be ironed, ironing said fabrics by direct contact with a heated iron to cause said Water to transform into steam to contact said fabrics, said substantial amount of water being an amount suflcient for generating steam during at least one hour of continuous ironing.

2. ln a process of ironing fabrics, the steps comprising placing a moisture proof cover upon the top of a horizontally disposed ironing board, placing a damp moisture retaining pad upon the top of said cover, placing a moisture pervious cover upon the top of said pad, ironing said fabrics on said moisture pervious cover by direct contact with a heated household iron for causing moisture from said pad to pass through said moisture pervious cover and dampen said fabrics during the course of ironing.

3. ln apparatus for ironing fabrics or the like, the combination of moisture absorbing pad means having a top surface and a bottom surface, a moisture pervious member disposed on said top surface of said pad means and being suitable for ironing thereupon, said moisture absorbing pad means being capable of absorbing a sufficient quantity of water at one time to generate steam a plurality of times from the entire said top surface of said means for at least one hour of moisture ironing when said member is covering said means and said fabrics are pressed against said means through said member with a heated household iron, a moisture impervious member disposed beneath said means to make the latter moisture proof at said bottom surface of said means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,134,430 Wender et al. Apr, 6, 1915 1,289,142 Fische Dec. 31, 1918 1,390,124 Gough Sept. 6, 1921 1,443,721 Albright Jau. 30, 1923 1,947,613 Northrup Feb. 20, 1934 2,481,833 Foster Sept. 13, 1949 2,539,715 Young et al. Jan. 30, 1951 2,663,958 Keast Dec. 29, 1953 

